Chapter 163 - 124: Is Nine Transformations the Limit? Not Necessarily!

Chapter 163: Chapter 124: Is Nine Transformations the Limit? Not Necessarily!

Looking at the Holy Pool where the figure in white was situated, there was no movement at all. Even Gu Qingyan grew somewhat anxious, not understanding what was happening with Jiang Hao.

"This shouldn’t be happening. No matter how slow he is, at least one of his meridians should have entered the ninth transformation by now. Why is there no movement at all?"

"Strange, why is the Holy Pool belonging to that guy named Jiang Hao so quiet?"

"Could it be that his talent and potential only reached the eighth transformation for his eight meridians and spine, allowing him to barely reach the top of the Celestial List?"

"Hahaha! What did I tell you? Someone from a barren land will always just be someone from a barren land. There’s no way he truly has the strength to rival the Five Sons of Nanling."

"It seems we thought too highly of that guy. The moment he entered the Dragon Transformation Pool, his true colors were immediately exposed."

"If he really can’t do it, he should just come out. Stop hogging the spot for nothing."

Not only did Gu Qingyan and the others notice something was wrong, but countless Cultivators were also keeping a close eye on the Holy Pool where the figure in white sat. As time passed, many Cultivators who harbored prejudice against geniuses from the outside world began to wear cold sneers.

"As expected, the Celestial List’s rankings have their flaws. A scene from the past is playing out all over again."

"A scene from the past? Brother, what do you mean?"

"You might not know this, but decades ago, during the last Genius Hegemony, an unexpected genius also emerged.

"Back then, that person also squeezed into the ranks of Saint Sons and Saintesses, and their ranking on the Celestial List was unusually high.

"At the time, many originally thought they would be Nanling’s biggest dark horse. But unexpectedly, the moment they entered the Dragon Transformation Pool, the truth came out.

"That person’s ranking on the Celestial List didn’t reflect their terrifying talent and potential, but rather, their absolute limit."

"Their limit?"

"Let me put it this way: the talent and potential that person displayed during the selection process was already the absolute peak of what they could achieve."

As soon as these words were spoken, sudden realization dawned on everyone.

"Does that mean this guy named Jiang Hao was overestimated by the Celestial List?"

"You could say that. The eighth transformation for his eight meridians and spine is his limit. It’s just that the Celestial List’s selection room cannot detect a person’s upper limit."

In short, the talent and potential of the figure in white maxed out right there. The eighth transformation for his eight meridians and spine was his absolute peak. Even so, countless Cultivators still couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.

"Even if the eighth transformation for multiple meridians and his spine is his limit, it’s still terrifying. He still deserves a spot on the list of peerless freaks."

Listening to the constant chatter around him, Qi Tianmu, who was lost in the sea of people, felt somewhat surprised. The Celestial Sword Sect disciple beside him, however, was overjoyed.

"Elder, could it be that eight qualitative transformations are the highest level he can reach?

"If so, didn’t we overestimate this person’s threat to the Celestial Sword Sect way too much?"

If this was all the potential he had, let alone threatening the Celestial Sword Sect, he probably couldn’t even pose a threat to the Vice Outer Sect Leader standing right beside him.

Meanwhile.

Within the Holy Pool shrouded in Spiritual Mist, Jiang Hao’s brows were tightly knitted, and his expression was extremely grim.

"Damn it, why does this Nine Transformations Spirit Technique have absolutely no effect on me?" he wondered. "Not only does it have no effect, but I almost suffered a backlash from it."

It wasn’t that Jiang Hao hadn’t learned this Spirit Transformation Technique over the past two whole months. On the contrary, he had already cultivated it to a state of pure mastery. However, it offered absolutely no help in his attempt to break through to the Nine Transformations of One Vein. In fact, he had nearly suffered qi deviation countless times.

"I understand now," he thought as a gleam of realization finally lit up his eyes after countless attempts.

It turned out that this Cultivation Technique and Secret Technique was worlds apart from his own method of cultivation.

"Ever since the Ren Meridian Second Transformation, I haven’t come into contact with any Cultivation Techniques or Secret Techniques of this kind. My entire cultivation method has been something I figured out all on my own," he mused. "You could even say that my eighth transformation for the eight meridians and spine was the result of blind experimentation. Every single time, I forcefully opened them up without following the established rules."

And this was precisely what had allowed Jiang Hao to grope his way toward a different path of One Vein Many Transformations. By pure chance, he had bypassed all existing cultivation methods and discovered a path of spirit transformation that belonged entirely to him. In other words, Jiang Hao had pioneered a brand-new method of cultivation for himself.

At this moment, there were only two choices laid out before him. One was to reshape his eight meridians and spine, pulling himself back onto the orthodox path. The other was to see it through to the bitter end and continue exploring this unknown road.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Jiang Hao found himself torn. But soon, his gaze gradually turned resolute.

"The path of cultivation is inherently about constant breakthroughs and shattering shackles," he told himself. "If I follow the paths walked by my predecessors, my cultivation journey might be much safer. But in the end, it would just be me retracing their steps all over again."

Cultivators who trained that way were essentially just replicas of past powerhouses. As far as Jiang Hao knew, nine out of ten figures who had truly reached the absolute pinnacle throughout history had shattered existing limits. Some had forged new great daos of cultivation, becoming the founding ancestors of a generation. Others had glimpsed new opportunities within the old, soaring into the heavens.

Of course, an astronomical number of people had died on the path of exploration, leaving behind mountains of white bones. But if one managed to make it through, they were destined to become world-shaking figures.

At the very least, the "Skybreaker" Sword Intent that Gu Qingyan had once imparted to him was a newly forged path. No one knew better than Jiang Hao himself just how terrifying the "Skybreaker" truly was. Unfortunately, the peerless Sword Cultivator who had created that sword strike suffered the heavens’ envy and perished early in the mortal realm, unable to continue walking the path of the "Skybreaker."

"Heh, a new path of spirit transformation... Do I really have any other choice?" he chuckled inwardly.